Heartbroken lover of gangland lawyer Joe Acquaro mourns family man with heart of gold
THE partner of murdered gangland lawyer Joe “Pino” Acquaro has opened up about the death of her “soulmate”, describing him as a kind-hearted man who “couldn’t say no”.
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THE partner of murdered gangland lawyer Joe “Pino” Acquaro has opened up about the death of her “soulmate”, describing him as a kind-hearted man who “couldn’t say no”.
Marisa Di Lisio said she was absolutely shocked by the killing of Mr Acquaro, shot outside his Brunswick East gelato cafe, Gelobar, in the early hours of Tuesday.
Ms Di Lisio said that when she saw the early news reports of a dead body found outside the cafe, she desperately hoped it wasn’t her man — but she feared the worst.
“I rang his office and they confirmed what I dreaded,” she said.
“No one deserves to die like that, least of all him. He represented a lot of people. I wish I would wake up and it was all a dream. Unfortunately, it’s not a dream.
“He knows we were soulmates and we will meet again in the afterlife.
“Thank God we were both spiritual people. I know I’ll see him again.”
Ms Di Lisio, 51, said she had known Mr Acquaro since she was 16. They began a relationship 20 years ago after separating from previous partners.
She described Mr Acquaro as a family man who loved his children, as well as her three sons.
“He was a good man. He had a heart of gold and he just adored his kids,” she said.
“He was a gentleman, he would take the shirt off his back for everybody. He would drop everything if someone needed a hand.
“We would sometimes be in the middle of something, but he would have to leave because someone needed help with something. He couldn’t say no — that was what some of our fights were over.”
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She said Mr Acquaro was passionate about helping the Italian community and these were values passed on to him by his father, Alfredo.
This was reflected in his work with a number of organisations, including as president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce, she said.
“He was very much for the Italian community and was always helping out immigrants. He would help them find jobs and help them with immigration,” she said.
However, she also described an intensely private and religious man who, despite a high profile within the community and his connection to Melbourne’s underworld, always tried to stay out of the limelight.
She said Mr Acquaro was always passionate about food and was very attached to the popular Gelobar.
“He was a very private and religious person and very family orientated. There was nothing more he enjoyed than sitting around the table with family and having a plate of pasta,” she said.
“I’ve known Pino since he was 16. We met each other and then we parted ways. We then saw each other again when we both were separated (from our partners) and he became a close friend and a relationship started up.
“He was always there for me, and he loved my boys,” Ms Di Lisio said.
People arrived at the front of Mr Acquaro’s beloved gelato bar to leave flowers and heartfelt messages of condolence.
“So so so sad! A very enthusiastic, delicate, creative, passionate soul,” one handwritten message said.
The Kensington gelato shop run by Mr Acquaro’s three sons — with whom he is believed to have fallen out — was also closed “due to family reasons”.